LUKAS

ONE

Anastasia's POV

I watched my father as he picked up another pack of cigarettes. This was probably his tenth pack of the day. It was a bad habit that he never seemed to get rid of. He took a cigarette from the box and plopped it in his mouth. He lit the end and inhaled deeply. It was sad watching him do this. Even though cigarettes had no effect on us, it still wasn't the most pleasant smell. I knocked on his door, causing his head to snap towards me.

He waved his hand through the air so that you could maybe see through the white storm. He pulled on a smile and sat up straighter. "I'm going out." I tell him. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth and another cloud of smoke followed. "Where to?" He asks.

"A run." I lie. He nods and I waste no time, turning around and heading for the door. The last thing I needed was for the cigarette smell to stick on me. "Be careful." He says as I exit the room. I had no intentions of going on a run. In fact it was just another one of my many excuses I used whenever I was doing something my dad wasn't too keen about.

"I'm going on a run." Nerissa mocked me as I passed her and my brother in the kitchen. "Shut up." Sometimes Nerissa could be a pain in the neck. I figured she got it from Orion. Those two were best friends. "Stop lying." I rolled my eyes as my brothers calm voice entered my ears. "You need to mind your business." I tell him.

Samouel was a lot less annoying than Nerissa. It was probably because he was very mature for his age. "I'll be back by six." I didn't wait on their responses because I was already pulling on my coat and dodging the lower ranks who roamed the halls. I finally found the door and made my exit.

As soon as I neared the woods, I looked around me to make sure that no one was following me. If anyone caught me I would for sure be in big trouble with my father. As soon as I was sure the area was clear, I turn around and quickly slip into the thick trees.

Once I was far enough into the woods, I took off into a sprint, wanting to get to my destination quickly.

After miles of running, I finally looked upon the place that could do me some good. I entered the darker space that was in a rather isolated area. I took off my hood but left my coat on. It was quiet in here- almost silent. Most people were in their own rooms doing who knows what.

I had been visiting this place since I was fifteen. I was now eighteen and stronger than ever. I saw the figure with long dark brown hair come down the hall. A smile immediately came over my face. She was wearing her usual black dress and her hair was left pushed behind her in it's neat natural state. "Anastasia." She greeted with a small nod of the head.

"Bella." I greeted with the same respect. She had been the one who taught me all the tricks I knew. "It's nice to see you again, Anastasia. Come, let's begin." She turns around and begins walking. I follow her without question. "It's a pleasure to see you too, Bella. I've been practicing since the last time I've seen you. I apologize for not being able to come sooner, I haven't been able to find time to visit." I explain while taking my coat off.

Bella was a witch who offered to help me with my powers and abilities. It's safe to say that I've improved drastically since I've met her. "I understand." We finally enter her space, where I'd spend this learning session.

Her room was dark and cozy. You'd have to carry a candle with you to see your way. The witches and warlocks here weren't very knowledgeable about modern technology. I began to warm up my powers by performing simple tricks.

I looked deeply into Bella's eyes and searched for any form of words or feelings. I could feel that she was trying to block me out but I had improved since last time. I overpowered her and got access to her thoughts. Her thoughts started forming sentences in my head.

She was proud that I had finally been able to overpower her. I stopped my mind reading and smiled at her. "I did it!" I exclaimed. I hadn't gotten that far in years! She nodded at me approvingly. "Well done." She said, smiling. I continued to practice with her for the remainder of the session.

_____

"Bye!" I waved to Bella as I left her room. Today's session was lot longer than usual. But I must say, I learned a lot. I found my way through the halls of the house while I pulled on my coat. I needed to get home before my father got suspicious. His cigarettes could only hold him for so long.

I was about to turn onto the western hall when a hand covered my mouth while a large arm pulled me back. I struggled as I was pulled into another dark room. My yells came out muffled due to the hand that was sealed over my lips. I felt my back hit the wall just before the person's face was revealed. "Lukas?" It didn't even sound like his name because it was muffled.

He held a finger over his lips as he slowly took his hand away from my mouth. "What was the point in that?" I whisper-yelled. He began to pase around his room. "So much to explain..." Lukas was one of the quieter warlocks who lived here. "Anastasia, you might not understand now but I'm trying to save you here." I shook my head not understanding. This was also probably the most I've heard him speak in one day.

His gray eyes looked into mine before he opened his mouth to speak. "Anastasia... Bella is Beatrice." My jaw nearly detached itself from my face. I shook my head. No, it can't be. "Impossible." I say. I searched his face for any signs that suggested that he was joking. I found none.

"It is true."

"Prove it." I say. If he expected me to believe him, he had to have some type of proof. He could be the bad guy for all I know. I watched him as he thought for a moment. "I'm just like you." He says. My eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"I know you have the power to revive... and so do I." My eyes widened. How could he have known? We had barely talked before. "And I know you want to revive your mother. It will take you much more years to be able to do it on your own so I'm offering to help you. You will learn twice as fast from someone the same as you." He explains.

I look at him suspiciously. No one in their right mind would want to get tangled into my problems without a proper reason. "Why are you willing to help me? There must be something in it for you." He just shakes his head. "There's nothing in it for me. But reviving your mother might be able to stop a war that is nearer than you think." He informs.

"What war?" All of this new information was coming at me like bricks.

"Winston, Beatrice, and Athanasios. They are all enemies now."

"Winston is still living?" I ask in astonishment.

"Barely." He finally stood still and looked at me. "But it's a war that you and your siblings will be in the middle of. Your mother will give Athanasios the strength he needs to defeat the two. Beatrice thinks I'm on her side but I never was." He says.

I just stood there, pondering. If everything he said was true, than I should probably go with him. If he was just a really good liar, than I would never forgive myself for being so dumb. "How will we even find her corpse?" I'm sure he had some type of plan.

"I figured your people might have information on that."

"I can't just go up to anyone and ask 'hey where is my mother's corpse'!" I point out.

"You can do some snooping." He said.

I looked at my hands for a few seconds. I knew what I was going to say to his offer. "You promise you'll help me?" I bit my lip nervously, it was a habit I had. "I'll help you as much as I can."

"I'll go with you."